Yes, the Oil leads the league with 12 double-digit goal scorers, despite icing 16 players under age 26.

But simply put, the Flames are the envy of the NHL in terms of building blocks for the future.

Defying conventional wisdom that suggested the salary cap era would prohibit clubs from collecting superstars as used to be the case with the old New York Rangers or Detroit Red Wings, Darryl Sutter has four of the league’s very best locked up for the next six years.

With the game’s best leader (Jarome Iginla), most complete and feared defenceman (Dion Phaneuf), a Vezina-winning goalie (Miikka Kiprusoff) and one of the top stay-at-home defenders (Robyn Regehr) all inked to lengthy extensions this year, the Flames are essentially guaranteed to avoid the type of sorry season the Oilers had last year.

For all of his flaws—some real and some imagined by his detractors—Huselius is still arguably the most gifted offensive player on Calgary’s roster.

His passing skills are rivalled only by Alex Tanguay’s, but he’s much more willing to shoot the puck in scoring areas, so that makes Huselius very dangerous in the offensive zone, especially on the powerplay.

He’s more than capable of scoring that big goal at the right time, which is a big deal come playoff time.

As for those who say he disappears when the games get more physical, they’re dead wrong.

And it begs the question whether the precocious 22-year-old should now be mentioned along with the Nick Lidstroms and Chris Prongers as a candidate for the Norris. As a human highlight reel leading Calgary to first place during the past two weeks, it’s getting harder to argue that Phaneuf’s time isn’t now. He eats up ice time and has the knack of being his most competitive in the big games. He has won the enmity of opposing players for his nasty side.

It comes down to your idea of how complete a defenceman needs to be to qualify.

1. Kiprusoff outplays the goalie at the other end of the rink. When he’s engaged, the Finn moves well, plays big, covers lots of net, and generally limits the bad goals that he allows to a manageable few.

2. Iginla, the perfect captain, rallies the troops, by word and deed, with a manner that is rare in today’s NHL. With the team touch-and-go just to make the playoffs, he has turned in a first-star performance in virtually every win they’ve had over the past two weeks.

The Calgary Flames Hockey Club announced Tuesday Dion Phaneuf has been named the recipient of the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award. The Scurfield Award is presented each year to the Flames player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to community service.

In his third professional season, defenceman Dion Phaneuf has not only established himself as an elite player but has also proven he is a proud Albertan who truly understands how important it is to use his profile to enhance the work of local charities and make a positive impact on his community.

Phaneuf is a punk, by the way. And some day he’s going to get his, and it’s not going to be pretty for him. He’s going to hit one backside of a player too many, and somebody is going to rip that shield off his face and hand him his teeth….

This is a 22-year-old guy, at the top of his physical powers and who really has a lot of talent. But he doesn’t play an honorable game.
He hits you when your back is turned. Then, when you get mad about it and try to hit him back, he backs away and hides behind his shield, mouthing off. He’s got a lot of Bill Laimbeer in him.

People in Washington and Pittsburgh won’t like to hear this, but if the season were to end today, Jarome Iginla is the league’s most valuable player.

The Hart Trophy race has never been so hotly contested. The competition is very much a reflection of close races, parity throughout the NHL and certainly a trickle-down effect of what a salary-cap system means to the league overall.

But the 30-year-old Edmonton native, who captains the provincial rival Calgary Flames, is the choice. He may not have as many goals and not as many points as others, but Iginla is the living, breathing, skating definition of the award: the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.